A northern Minnesota man faces two felony animal mistreatment expenses for allegedly taking pictures his neighbor’s canine whereas the German shepherd was in an outside kennel. The fees stem from proof discovered whereas the Minnesota Division of Pure Assets was trying into poaching allegations towards the person, recognized as 26-year-old Brandon Mutchler.
The state company started investigating Mutchler’s suspicious exercise on Nov. 1 when conservation officer Demo Regas stopped two males wearing blaze orange in Beltrami County, Minnesota, in accordance with the Star Tribune. The 2 hunters had been Brandon Mutchler and his father, Thomas Mutchler.
Regas remembered a Flip In Poachers hotline tip that Brandon Mutchler had presumably shot greater than his restrict of deer the earlier season. Based on the Star Tribune, DNR data confirmed that Mutchler had despatched two units of antlers to 2 completely different taxidermists. Beltrami County has a one-buck restrict.
When questioned, Brandon initially instructed Regas that he had not killed any deer through the 2022 season. When confronted with the DNR data, Mutchler instructed the officer he had shot a single buck that he hadn’t checked. He claimed his girlfriend had killed the opposite buck. His girlfriend, nonetheless, instructed Regas that the second buck Brandon had dropped on the taxidermist had been roadkill.
Picture by Jessica Juelson / Fb
When legislation enforcement executed a search warrant on the Mutchler’s residence, officers found a freezer filled with venison from a number of deer and a freezer bag containing bear claws. In addition they found a journal that detailed how Brandon had baited bears with no license through the 2022 season. The pocket book additionally indicated he illegally shot a 1 1/2-year-old doe.
“I get it,” Brandon instructed officers, in accordance with the Star Tribune. “I take too many deer, and I didn’t register them.”
In separate interviews, Thomas and Brandon each admitted that their household has been baiting bears on their property for years. Baiting bears will not be unlawful in Minnesota; nonetheless, anybody who fails to register a bait station or who locations one with no present yr bear license commits a petty misdemeanor.
Officers additionally executed a search warrant on Brandon’s cellular phone, discovering a whole lot of images of him, his father, and his brothers with over-limit deer from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons. The cellphone additionally had footage of bears shot in 2021 and 2022 and a timber wolf killed in 2023. Minnesota has no public wolf looking season as a result of they’ve been a federally protected species since February 2022. Brandon’s brother, Matthew, is charged with killing the wolf.
Brandon Mutchler, his father, Thomas, and his two brothers, Matthew and Nicholas, are charged with failing to register deer through the 2021-2022 looking season. He’s additionally charged with overkilling deer, failing to register deer and bear, and illegally transporting bears. Fees point out he shot 4 deer complete in 2023 (a doe and three bucks) and 5 deer in 2022 (a doe and 4 bucks).
The search of Brandon’s cellphone revealed his search historical past, which included queries like: “How far do police look into pet murders,” “MN legislation on killing someones canine,” “Can police get prints off a fired .22 shell?” and “Is taking pictures a canine a felonie.”
In August, a Beltrami County Sheriff’s deputy took a report of a canine that had been shot inside his kennel, in accordance with KSTP information. The German shepherd named Sysco was owned by Daniel and Jessica Juelson, who found six .22-caliber casings exterior the canine’s kennel, which was simply 50 ft from their home, in accordance with a Fb publish by Jessica.
Brandon Mutchler was initially a topic in Sysco’s taking pictures due to his proximity to the Juelsons’ house. Throughout questioning, Mutchler denied taking pictures the canine.
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In mild of the brand new proof on Brandon’s cellphone, nonetheless, he has additionally been charged with one rely every of animal torture and animal cruelty along with the poaching-related allegations. Underneath Minnesota statute, the penalty for deliberately killing a pet is a effective of as much as $5,000, as much as two years in jail, or each. Failure to register a deer in Minnesota is a petty misdemeanor which carries a $50 effective. It’s a gross misdemeanor to not register a bear. In Minnesota, a gross misdemeanor can lead to a effective of as much as $3,000 and as much as a yr in jail.
